Ships wait in the Columbia River beside the Port of Vancouver. Andeavor and partner Savage Cos. want to build a crude-by-rail terminal at the Port of Vancouver, but the project has been met with resistance.

Ships wait in the Columbia River beside the Port of Vancouver. Andeavor and partner Savage Cos. want to build a crude-by-rail terminal at the Port of Vancouver, but the project has been met with resistance.

Photo: STEVEN LANE /AP

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San Antonio refiner Andeavor and Utah-based partner Savage Cos. wanted to develop this area of the Port of Vancouver in Washington into a crude-by-rail terminal. The push for the project, known as Vancouver Energy, was officially ended Tuesday. less

San Antonio refiner Andeavor and Utah-based partner Savage Cos. wanted to develop this area of the Port of Vancouver in Washington into a crude-by-rail terminal. The push for the project, known as Vancouver ... more

San Antonio refinery Andeavor lost at the polls Tuesday as a candidate it backed in a small port commissioner’s race in Washington state was soundly defeated by a local businessman who wants to block the company’s plans for a terminal there.

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Kris Greene, who backed the facility, lost the hotly contested race to local businessman Don Orange. Orange, who won 64.3 percent of the vote, has vowed to cancel a land lease Andeavor shares with Utah-based Savage Cos. for a new terminal at the Port of Vancouver.

It marks the end of a bitter race between the two, who raised more than $1 million in campaign contributions for a commissioner’s seat that pays about $10,000 a year. Together they brought in more money than a pair of other port commissioner races in the much larger ports of Seattle and Tacoma combined.

Andeavor and Utah-based Savage Cos., pumped at least $370,000 into Greene’s campaign coffers. Much of it was contributed by Vancouver Energy, the name of the joint venture that aims to build a $210 million crude-by-rail terminal at the port. Greene had raised more than $596,000 total in his campaign.